Raspberry Cream Cheese Coffee Cake



This is incredible - I rate it at the top with the finest bakery pastries.  It is super rich but absolutely delicious and made with only healthy ingredients.  Julie gave me this recipe and it took two attempts at modification.  Today's attempt turned out quite well; I am pleased.  I replaced the flour in the recipe with whole wheat pastry flour (which I ground from soft white wheat berries) and the sugar with honey, maple syrup and a bit of maple syrup granules.  I use unprocessed dairy products and butter instead of margarine.  Though this is a 'coffee' cake and thus excellent for a brunch, it is also an elegant dessert that could be served with dinner.  Of course, buy the best quality organic ingredients available for optimal taste and nourishment.

 



Ingredients:

Batter

2 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour (or 2 cups soft white wheat berries ground fine)

1/2 tsp baking sea salt

1 stick unsalted organic butter (I used my homemade)

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

3/4 cup sour cream (or homemade yogurt sour cream) - don't use lowfat or nonfat

1 tsp pure almond extract (not use artificial)

1 range-free egg

Filling

8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature - don't use lowfat or nonfat

1/4 cup pure maple syrup

1 range-free egg

Topping

1 cup raspberry jam (fruit-juice sweetened, I use Crofter's)

1/2 cup diced almonds

2 Tbl pure maple syrup granules, ground fine

Preheat oven to 350 °F.  Grease (with butter) and then flour a 9" spring-form pan.  Mix together the pastry flour and 1/2 tsp sea salt, and then cut in one stick of cold butter with pastry cutter until it resembles coarse crumbs.  Remove 1 cup of crumbs and reserve for topping.

To the remaining crumb mixture, mix in the baking powder and baking soda.  In a separate bowl, whisk together the sour cream, one egg, and almond extract.  Pour this wet mix into the remaining crumb mixture and combine well.  Spread this batter mixture into the bottom of the prepared spring-form pan and up the sides (about 1/4" thick up the sides).

Next whisk together the softened room-temperature cream cheese with the other egg and 1/4 cup pure maple syrup.  Pour this over the batter.  Finally, carefully spoon 1 cup of raspberry jam (don't use one loaded with sugar or artificial sweeteners) over the cream cheese layer.





In your flax seed grinder, grind 2 Tbl of dried maple syrup granules to a fine powder.  Add this and the 1/2 cup of slivered almonds to the reserved cup of crumbs.  Sprinkle this topping mixture over the top.  Bake in preheated 350 °F oven for 50 to 55 minutes or until top lightly browned and center set.  Allow to cool for at least one hour.  Refrigerate leftovers.

 

 

Update:  We refrigerated half overnight and had it today.  It was very good too.  Allow to come to room temperature (remove from refrigerator about an hour before eating).  Still delicious!